How Does Simon Armitage Make 'Alaska' Such a Strikingly Bitter Poem?

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How does Armitage make ‘Alaska’ such a strikingly bitter poem? Alaska is a fairly bitter poem about a man imagining talking to his ex-girlfriend about how he feels bitter towards her for leaving him for someone else. The name of the poem itself ‘Alaska’ conveys ideas of coldness which is symbolising the cold end to their relationship and Armitage’s attitude towards the ‘girl’. Simon Armitage uses a series of negative comments towards the ‘girl’ to convey his bitter attitude towards her and the end of their relationship. The way he addresses his ex as ‘girl’ is very belittling and patronising and implies that he finds her childish which conveys a sense of irony as he has not been acting very maturely since the end of the relationship and is not taking into account her feelings. Armitage also describes his ex and her new lover as ‘nodding donkeys’ which is mocking and suggests he finds her new relationship ridiculous. It also conveys a sense of jealousy as he has been left for a ‘nodding donkey’ which he may find demeaning and could explain why he is so bitter towards her. The overall impression that is given through these negative comments is that Armitage has lost all respect for the ‘girl’. The use of direct narrative throughout the poem makes his negative seem like much more of a personal attack on the ‘girl’. The phrase ‘snuck off’ implies that he doesn’t believe that the girl left him honestly and implies that the relationship did not end in good terms due to this. Further direct speech to the girl in the quote ‘you must see me like the crown prince’ which could be inferred to show eminence on Amritage’s behalf and he is therefore conveying his lack of understanding of the end of their relationship as he cannot understand how someone may be better than him. This idea of Armitage being portrayed as superior to the ‘girl’ suggests that this may have been the
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